


Messages of Love

by flyingorfalling



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:54:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24838741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingorfalling/pseuds/flyingorfalling
Summary: Their story began the day he left his number on the stall wall of the unisex bathroom—not imagining anyone would even pay much attention to it—and a text message from an unknown number arrived only half an hour later during math class. He remembered asking her how she was doing, and her telling him that it was the worst week ever and she just needed someone to talk to.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 61





	Messages of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Pepperony Week, Day 1. This is fluffy, smutty, cheesy and angsty. Pretty much a whole rollercoaster ride of emotions. I'm not sure how in character it is, and if it's as teen-ish as a high school AU should be, but the fact I wrote so much shows how much fun I had delving into this world lmao I think at some point, I wanna turn this into a full story...

He thought it was a one-time thing, a few messages back and forth and that was it, but she texted him about her day and her frustrations for over six months, before he had mustered the courage to ask her to send a photo of herself so he knew what she looked like. When he saw her blue eyes, the tiny red freckles on her skin and the strawberry blond hair, his smile broadened in appreciation. How come he had just walked passed her in the hallway for all these years, never noticing her beauty?

She was an angel in tight fitting jeans, armed with a sharp tongue and a sassy attitude—her text messages spoke of that. She was _his_ angel. His heart knew it from the moment he saw her. But, his mind just wouldn't allow the thought to enter for another six months of exchanging text messages until he finally asked her out on a date. When she said yes, it was one of the happiest days of his life. But of course he messed it up with her first chance he got. He always messed up the few good things he had in his life. Thank God she forgave him for being a complete asshole.

Their first time had been marked by a certain amount of reserve—insecurity—on the part of both of them, because contrary to what she believed, it was the first time for him too. After pretending to know everything about the mechanics of sex, so much so that he actually started to believe it himself, it felt good to have found someone with whom he didn’t have to pretend anymore. He could be vulnerable. He could be weak. He could be hurt, angry or sad. She made him feel like he could be anything. All he really wanted, though, was to just be himself, and she let him. Better yet, she _loved_ him.

Two years had passed since he wrote that damn number on the stall wall, and she was still there, right by his side. They were camping out in the bed of his truck, alternating between making out and watching the stars, while listening to sounds of the night—crickets chirping and a mild breeze brushing through the sparse shoreline grass as the ocean waves rippled onto the sand. His back huddled against the driver’s cabin. She sat between his legs, leaning backwards into his chest, and he had his arms wrapped around her tightly.

He would have to leave her tomorrow, because his father didn’t want to waste any time to ship him, like a package, out to the East coast where he was going to study. And while he knew he should be proud to have been given the opportunity to attend his dream college at the age of 16, he was consumed by unrelenting sadness. He‘d give up everything to be with her forever. _Everything_. But they didn’t have forever. They only had a few more hours. They had this night. _One_ last night before they had to say goodbye for God knew how long.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Pepper said, stroking a hand down his forearm. She heard him breathe deeply, felt his chest move behind her back, and she closed her lids against everything but the feel of his weight against her. Her fingers curled around his arm as she rested her hands on his that were clasped against her stomach. The silky strands of her hair brushed lightly against his face as he nuzzled her neck. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re gonna forget about me,” he mumbled after a short pause, sighing heavily again. “I know how this works, Pep... You’re gonna tell me not to worry, because nothing will change between us. That we will talk every day. But days will turn into weeks, then months... and then it’ll be like I never existed, because you’ll find someone else.“

“I found _you_ ,” she said quietly. “And I don’t want anyone else.”

Tony pulled her even closer, kissing her hair over and over again. He was so desperate to hold on to her, to never let her go.

“Where is this coming from?” Pepper wondered, thinking. “It’s your dad, isn’t it?” Howard had always thought of her as nothing but a distraction, keeping Tony from going after what _he_ wanted. He never really cared about his son, and about what Tony wanted. “He said something about me that upset you.”

Tony managed a forced chuckle. It broke the spell of the tension that was threatening to cripple his brain. She knew him so well. She knew him in ways no one else did. No one else could.

“You know when we had that pregnancy scare last year and I freaked out at the thought of becoming a dad at sixteen?” He felt her nod. “He said you did it on purpose... Not taking the pill.”

She quickly turned around, almost head-butting him in the process, and stared at him, eyes wide in shock. A laugh tore from his dry throat. He cupped a hand around her cheek, feathered his thumb across her skin, and smiled apologetically.

“I know it wasn’t true. You’re not like that.”

“What did I ever do to him to make him hate me?”

“My dad?” He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he said. “But he doesn’t hate you, Pepper, he just thinks—“

“His son should be with someone who doesn’t have an opinion, says yes and amen to everything, and, all the other times, keeps her damn mouth shut.”

“Yeah, it really didn’t help when you called him an asshole,” Tony said, laughing.

“So what’s he saying now?”

“That a girl like you has guys lining up for her, and once I’m out of the picture, there will be someone else, so I better focus on my future instead of girls... you in particular.”

Pepper had to laugh at how stupid that sounded. Then she smirked, as she dipped her head toward his, brushing her lips lightly across Tony’s mouth, touching the corner of his mouth with her tongue. “So your dad thinks I’m hot?”

“Don’t say it like that’s turning you on,” he said, giggling.

She chuckled, gazing into his eyes. There was a moment of silence, before she spoke. “Do you worry about that, though? Like, for real?”

Again, he shrugged his shoulders. “If there’s one thing my father and I agree on it’s that there are a lot of guys out there who’d love to be in my place.”

“But they’re not,” she softly reminded him, smiling.

“Yeah, they’re not...”

Pepper thought his laugh to be a bit nervous. It was funny how sure of himself he always seemed to be, except when they were alone. It was cute. It was goddamn adorable.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“Sometimes I wonder how you can be so sure of that at _sixteen_ ,” he muttered. Worried that she may take his comment the wrong way, he kissed her. “But I love you too.”

“Give me your hand.”

“Why?” he asked, confused.

“Just give me your damn hand, Tony,” she challenged him, smirking. He held his hand out to her and she took it, placing it on her chest so it covered her heart. “Now kiss me.”

He pulled her in for a kiss, and not just any kiss, but the mother of all kisses. Tony knew how to kiss, treated it like an art form, and she was lost. Her heart pounded against her chest, as if it were the only drum in a dance of death. Pepper’s fingers splayed across his abs, generating enough heat to brand his skin through his shirt. She sighed, a sexy moan that curled into his groin. Then she pushed him away gently, making sure that he kept his hand where her heart was.

“You feel that?” she asked, smiling softly now, and he nodded, with a warm smile on his lips. “ _That’s_ how I can be sure.” He could see her happiness, so much of it that it overwhelmed her and drove her to tears instead. Long-fingered hands slid against his temples and cupped his face. “And I’m gonna miss you so much.” Pepper’s voice cracked on the last word and she dragged in an uneven breath.

Tony looked into her eyes, seeing as always into her soul, so open and giving and filled with love for him, as his was for her. She would always be all he ever needed, and he knew he’d never be able to find another somebody as perfect for him as she was. Pepper was the one thing he couldn’t live without, and he was sure of that beyond the shadow of a doubt. He needed her completely. And there were times when he was maddened by how much she meant to him. She was the one thing he couldn’t imagine losing. And she was saying the one thing he couldn’t bare hearing.

They looked lovingly, longingly into one another’s eyes and there was no question about what would happen next. In slow motion, she watched his face descend toward hers. Neither of them closed their eyes. Even when Tony was so close she could feel his breath on her skin she couldn’t draw her eyes away. Their lips gently touched and she finally lowered her lashes, hanging on to his shirt. He pressed harder against her lips, his right hand already moving downward across the small of her back. She moaned. He groaned. She released his shirt and lifted her hands to the back of his head, pulling his mouth tighter.

The soft and sweet taste of her lips rocked Tony to his core. He felt the want, the need to taste every bit of her, without hurrying, yet the idea of waiting even another moment to make love to her seemed almost beyond his ability. But Pepper wanted to set the pace. He could live with that. He knew control was a hot button for her, especially in bed. So when she took his hands and guided them to the hem of her shirt, she didn't need to ask him twice to pull it over her head.

“Is that lingerie?” Tony smirked, seeing what was underneath. The lacy bra covering Pepper’s breasts had to be one of the sexiest pieces of clothes he had ever laid eyes on. “I’m getting the special treatment tonight,” he sneered, licking his lips, as he trailed along the fabric with one finger, looking at her. “Can't believe I had to leave first before you put one of these on...”

“Hey!” Pepper protested loud, almost laughing. “One more word and you ain't getting nothing.”

“Mhm... No talking.” He trailed kisses down her neck to the valley between her breasts. “Got it,” he whispered, feeling her heart race beneath his lips. Tony lingered in tasting her, feeling her, and Pepper couldn't deny that what he was doing felt incredibly good. He smoothed his palms down her sides and his big hands enclosed her waist. He tried lifting her up, so she was free to shimmy her denim skirt past her hips—they both chuckled against each other's lips at Pepper’s struggle to undress.

When he pulled his mouth away for a second, Pepper quickly grabbed his shirt to get it off of him. The pulse beating between her legs made her restless and edgy, but she could feel in just about the same spot that she certainly wasn't the only one who was itching for more physical contact. She loved the feeling of Tony’s hardness nudging between her thighs, and she pressed herself against him as if to meld into his body, wanting to feel him more.

Pushing her onto her back, Tony tasted her lips again. He couldn't bear his mouth to be far from hers. The kiss deepened as passion grew between them. His hands were cupping her face, Pepper’s fingers skimmed up his back. He lifted one strap of her bra off her shoulder, tugged it down her arm and broke the kiss, but only to slid his lips over her neck, kissing from the front to the sides to the back. He nipped on her earlobe, making her moan with pleasure—and then he stopped.

“Tony?“ Staring at him with confusion and worry written on her face, Pepper reached up and ran her fingers through his curls. His hair had gotten so long that it dangled in a dark brown hank over his left eye. She loved it. It made him look both cute and sexy. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled. Then he paused, and finally, as he admitted to himself that having to let her go, if only for a while, was the hardest thing he ever had to do, shook his head. “No.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I’m not okay.” He reached over to tuck her hair behind her ear. “It just hit me that this is the last time you and I—“ Gazing into her eyes, Tony sighed deeply. “God, you are so beautiful!” It was hard finding words with feelings like those of first love dancing around wildly inside of him. “I wish I could—“

Pepper put her finger to his mouth. “Shhh. Don’t do that,” she whispered.

“Do what?”

“You’re saying goodbye,” she said. “But we’re not gonna do this tonight.” Panic rose in Pepper’s chest, and she swallowed hard, forcing her tears away. “I don’t wanna say goodbye... not tonight.” _Not ever_ , she thought.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, flashing her one of those beautiful smiles that could melt her heart, and feathered his thumb across her temple.

As Pepper felt the warmth of his fingers against her scalp and saw the deep affection in his eyes, her body trembled with emotion. Her heart started to beat faster, almost bursting with love, and she slung an arm around his neck, bringing her face closer to his.

“Don’t be sorry.” Brushing her lips across Tony’s, she whispered to him, “Just love me,” and slid down the straps of her bra.

He slowly explored the curves of her lips. Slipping his tongue into the depths of the sweetness of her mouth. Pepper trembled at the gentle exploration. He took her bra off, exposing her breasts to his gaze and his hands. She gasped softly in the night when her breasts were touched by his lips, his tongue sliding over her taut nipples. He quickly stripped away his clothes, and she watched him, biting down hard on her bottom lip when Tony faced her in his full naked glory. She was bewitched by his charms, seduced by his muscular, virile body, and was crazy in love.

Tony fumbled for the condoms in his rear pocket, hastily taking them out, before throwing his pants to the side. He hated these things, but he knew protection went both ways. Besides, after thinking he had gotten her pregnant last year he’d rather be safe than sorry. His hands weren’t entirely steady as he tore open the condom packet, his eyes focusing on her, and how she was slowly tugging her panties down her legs. He almost dropped it, chuckled nervously when he saw her grin. A moan came out of his mouth as he started to roll the condom on. Pepper’s hand joined his, her small palm working the latex over his dick.

Pepper saw the look on his face, as she slowly slid the condom on, and smirked. “Don’t come,” she said, giggling. “We haven’t even started yet.”

He chuckled deep in his throat, remembering the one time that had actually happened, and captured her head and brought his mouth down on hers in a crushing kiss. “You are so sexy,” he murmured as his lips drifted to the curve of her throat.

She tugged him forward, her grip firm on his erection. Pepper wanted him so much she could hardly think straight. Every cell in her body was on fire. She licked her lips that still tasted of him and spread her legs wide, lifted her hips, desperate to have him inside her. He moaned as she brought him to her. Their eyes met as he thrust in with one long stroke, making her take him all.

“Oh God, yes,” she moaned and shifted around, wrapping her legs around his hips. “That feels so good.” She gave a soft command, “More.”

Tony pushed himself deeper into her body, not stopping until his pelvis collided with hers, and then he withdrew until the head was at the peak. When he plunged in again, her eyes remained locked on him, and he let his focus laser in on the sight as he stretched her pussy in every direction. Her breath hitched in her throat and then her lungs cleared in a precipitated slam.

“Tony...”

Her eyes were dark and wet and so hauntingly beautiful, he was sure he’d see this in his dreams—dreams were all he would have left in Massachusetts. He fell into another passionate kissing spell as he increased his rhythm, smothering her face and her forehead, breasts and shoulders. Then he moved to her neck and began marking her where everyone would be able to see it. Purposely choosing a place where his mark couldn't be hidden, he sucked Pepper’s skin into his mouth, branding her as his. Her fingernails cut into his back, prompting a deep groan from him.

“Fuck,” he grunted.

Pepper stretched her arms over her head guiding him to pin her down, and he did it, intertwining his fingers with hers and holding her in place while he made love to her. She cried out in pain and pleasure. His breathing became a pleasure pant of his own. He pumped into her, his cock nudging her deepest spot, his width spreading her. His mouth hovered over hers but he didn’t kiss her. Instead, he went further down to her breasts, his lips leaving a hot trail on her skin. When his tongue shot out and rolled roughly over the sensitive peak of her nipple, she gasped.

”Don’t stop... Don’t you dare stop!“

A delicious tightness gripped her flesh, the burn of her release so close she ached. She wanted to free her arms but he wouldn’t let her. He groaned loud and continued his pace until a primal sound pressed into his ears and her body sunk deep into the inflatable air mattress lining the truck bed. Their fingers were still laced but the muscles in Pepper’s hand, along with the rest in her body had lost all tension. Tony, with a muffled shout, surged deeply within her and his entire body shook and spasmed against her.

He waited until his breathing had steadied, then he cupped his cock and, holding on to the base of the condom, slipped it off. He reached over for one of the paper napkins they had used for dinner and wiped himself off with it, then placed the condom inside and put both away.

Pulling himself up to lay his head on her belly, he closed his eyes and listened to her breathing, felt his head bob with each of her shallow breaths. As he traced a random pattern along the length of her forearm he was unaware of time. They could lay there for a minute or a year and he wouldn't know the difference. There was only the cocoon they had built around themselves, shutting out the rest of the world, a world that wanted them apart.

He felt her start to laugh before he heard it and he picked his head up to look at her. She looked back at him, smirking.

“What’s so funny?” he wondered.

Pepper reached out to stroke his hair and Tony burrowed against her and closed his eyes, wishing he would never have to open them again. He wanted to stay in her arms forever and just smell, feel and breathe her.

“The way you inspected that condom like it‘s an antique vase,” she answered.

He chuckled. “You saw that?”

“You know I’m still on the pill, Tony, so even if it broke...”

“Just don’t want it to be like the last time we were...”

With a small sigh, he shifted in her arms and then ran his hand across her belly and into the triangle of reddish hair below. She gave a soft gasp and he smiled at the way she reacted to his touch.

“Have you...” She swallowed, feeling her cheeks flush. “Have you ever thought about what our life would be like if—”

“You actually had been pregnant?” he finished her sentence and slowly raised himself on an elbow to look her in the eyes. He lowered his voice to a whisper, “Every single day,” and let his words linger for a moment. Grazing her cheek with his fingers, he smiled softly. “Even now.”

Touched by his honesty, she took his face into her hands and kissed him, their naked bodies melting into one. “We would make beautiful babies,” she whispered, as they broke apart, smirking at him.

His smile grew until his lips couldn't stretch any more and the white of his teeth sparkled like a neon sign. ”A little practice can’t hurt, right?”

“You mean even if we won’t have a baby anytime soon?” She grinned. He nodded. “Well, how many condoms do you have left, Mr. Stark?”

Pepper put an innocent look on her face, but her big blue eyes held a determined glint, one that only served to add weight to the desire already settled in Tony’s gut.

“Enough to get us through the night, Ms. Potts,” he replied, and his smirk widened. “But first...”

“What?” she asked.

“I’m gonna taste you.”

He leaned his face down and kissed her mound of pubic curls, spreading open the lips of her sex and running his fingertips gently up and down her slit. She gasped, then moaned and leaned further into him, as he suckled on her wetness, his tongue probing deep inside her, licking her like an ice cream cone, savoring each long stroke.

“Oh, my... Fuck, babe... Yes,” she moaned, pushing his head deeper, letting him know what she truly wanted. She opened herself for him, hooking her legs around his shoulders and capturing his head between her thighs.

“Better,” he growled and suckled her nub, licking hard and fast.

They woke up the next morning from the bliss of an entire night of love-making. Their muscles were sore, their skin covered in mosquito bites and their backs hurt from sleeping on a mattress that had no air left in it, thanks to their last round of rough sex a few hours ago. But they had never been happier as in that moment when the sun rose above the ocean, almost making it seem like it was going to be the most beautiful day of their lives. Reality hit them soon, and hard, when they arrived at the airport. It was just the two of them, like last night, like they wished it would always be.

Tony forced a smile as he came back from the check-in desk. They could stand around and talk, go and get a coffee or simply make out and extend the goodbye but it was all just too painful. At the end of the day, he was still going away.

Pepper gasped at the feel of Tony reaching out and touching her cheek, and she tilted her head into his hand. The smile on his beautiful lips was so sad. She found herself wishing to see his goofy happy smile again. The one he’d worn all night.

“I think I’ll go through customs now,” he said softly, and she quickly shook her head. “Pep, I have to—“

“Please just a few more minutes,” she pleaded.

Grabbing him by the shirt that was half-unbuttoned, she pulled him closer to her, and then moved her hand slowly inside the opening and grazed the scar on his chest. Tracing the outline of it with her index finger, Pepper stared at the mark on his skin like she was drawn to it by a spell.

It was only a few months ago that Tony lay in a hospital bed, recovering from open-heart surgery to replace an abnormal aortic valve that had become further diseased by a staph infection. The six-hour surgery to repair his heart had gone smoothly. He was fine, technically, not even needed any blood thinners, but the vertical incision in his chest along the sternum would always be a reminder to them to cherish every moment they had together. Life could be over in the blink of an eye. They needed to make it count.

“I have something for you,” she told him, looking back up. “It’s in your bag, but you can’t open it until you’re...” She swallowed. “Until you’re on the plane.”

Her breath caught in her throat as she watched his eyes memorize every detail of her face. He was stunningly beautiful. She memorized his face from the curve of his lips to his shining almond eyes, eyes that were now starting to well up with tears. She couldn’t remember a time she had ever seen him cry.

“I love you so much,” she murmured but then her voice cracked as they both realized that this was it.

Pepper reached up gently and wiped away the tears with her thumb as one of her hands cupped his face, and then she drew close and kissed him. Tears were pouring down her cheek, but she knew she had to be strong. For his sake. She didn’t want to make this harder on him than it already was. So she kept telling herself that maybe it was good for him. Maybe his abused soul was finally going to be able to heal when he was miles away from a father that treated him so badly. Tony was so fragile underneath his bold exterior, so soft. Maybe this was what he had to do.

With a heart aching to hold on to the man she loved, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him for all she was worth, as if she might never let him go. Pepper told him that he was making the right choice, that it would be okay and they would get through this. God, she hoped they would. They were so young, so full of life and adventure, and the constant drive to experience new things. The questions that fed her doubts scared her, making her hug him tighter. She tried pushing aside her own hurts and fears not to cry again. He didn’t need to see any more of her tears.

Tony closed his eyes, running his hands up and down her back, and then he held still, just hugging her, as he breathed in her scent. She still smelled like the ocean. He tried to memorize the feel of her body against his: all soft and warm and curves. For all he knew, this was the last time in months, maybe even a year, that he’d be able to touch her. He squeezed his eyes against the moistness in them, then pulled back and took her face into both hands. Her beauty was enough to enslave the soul of any man, but for Tony her true beauty was within her soul. He admired her as a person more so than anyone he had ever met.

“I’ll dream about you.” He brushed his thumbs over her wet cheeks, while a smile crept over his face, but his eyes were oceans of sadness. “Because it’s always you,” he whispered.

He leaned over, gently kissing her. The kiss was tender, and filled with love. Pepper was not sure she had ever felt this amount of love flooding her being before. As he kissed her, Tony grasped her hand and pressed her palm against his heart.

“This is how much I love you, Pepper Potts.” His words were a breath against her lips. They looked deep into each other's eyes, only inches apart, and time seemed to stand still for a moment. “Don’t ever forget that.”

They had another hug, and then Pepper stood and watched as her boyfriend headed towards customs and showed his passport and boarding pass. Just as he went past the point of no return, Tony paused and turned around briefly. He showed her a smile—one last smile, and he made sure that it was the happiest smile he could muster in this moment. He didn’t want her to remember him with a face full of sadness. He wanted her to remember him the way he was when he was with her. She smiled back at him and he turned around, feeling like with every step, the hole inside him kept opening, wider and wider like a huge black mouth.

Only when Tony had gone did Pepper’s smile disappear and Pepper felt the dam breaking then. As she walked back to the car she could hardly see where she was going because her eyes were swimming in tears. She climbed in and just sat there and cried like she never had in her life. This was not how she had imagined first love to be. She was supposed to be happy, but her heart was hurting so much that she just wanted to scream.

She knew nothing really lasted forever, and that the chances of them staying together after high school had been really slim from the start, because life never turned out like that—definitely not hers—but they should’ve at least had until graduation. She should’ve had two more years to prepare for the worst, but now Tony was gone, and it had happened so fast that she hadn’t even had enough time to process it. She realized that now, realized how deep in denial she had lived, not wanting to face the reality of having to say goodbye to him. If this was real love, she didn’t want it.

_Remember when you told me you don't have a heart?_

It was when she had texted him about losing her mother. Tony remembered it so clearly, because it was the first thing he had found out about Pepper. Her mother was the very reason she had started talking to him. She had felt so lost without her, and he had been there for Pepper through all of it, helping her to find herself again.

_I found it, honey!_

Tony was confused for a moment, as she hadn’t written anything else on the little note he had found, but then he frantically tossed items out of his backpack until he saw what appeared to be a book, decoratively wrapped up. He opened the gift, turned it around and looked at it. The book’s cover was a muted maroon, with golden letters on the front: _Proof that Tony Stark has a heart_.

Frowning, he flipped to the first page, and the second he saw the screenshot of an iMessage conversation, Tony started grinning foolishly.

> _Hi stranger! Is this number legit? Ugh tell me you’re not a creep pls_
> 
> _Depends on who you ask_
> 
> _I just need someone to talk to_
> 
> _You got me  
>  How are you?_
> 
> _Having the worst week ever!_
> 
> _Why?_
> 
> _Cause my mom died_
> 
> _Oh God I'm really sorry for your loss_
> 
> _Have you ever had your heart broken?_
> 
> _I don't have one_
> 
> _Wow that's convenient_
> 
> _Ikr!! Think so too_

Tony skipped forward a few pages.

> _How was the funeral? You okay?’_
> 
> _I just wanna cry_
> 
> _What about a hug? You want a hug?  
>  I give good hugs_
> 
> _Hug me_
> 
> _*hugs you*_
> 
> _Is that all?_
> 
> _*hugs you tight*_
> 
> _That's better thank you_
> 
> _Told you I give good hugs_
> 
> _It hurts so much_
> 
> _I know but I'm here for you  
>  So if you wanna talk about your mom...  
>  I'm listening_

And a few more.

> _What should I call you? I’m so tired of calling you stranger_
> 
> _Handsome stranger_
> 
> _Idk if you’re handsome tho_
> 
> _Very_
> 
> _God you’re an idiot but you always make me laugh_

Hours later, Tony was still browsing through the book full of screenshots. He didn’t even know Pepper had saved all of their conversations. Everything was right there in that book. Their whole history, printed out and arranged over more than a hundred pages, like a journal.

> _Will you send me a photo of you if I ask nicely?_
> 
> _You haven’t asked me yet_
> 
> _I’d love to see your face_
> 
> _That's not a question_
> 
> _You’re a damn hard nut to crack  
>  I just can’t stop picturing your face  
>  So can I see it?  
>  I imagine you look beautiful_
> 
> _Cheesy but cute :’)  
>  That's me and my mom..._

Tony smiled at all the memories that came flooding back to him. No one had ever given him anything that special. It was a work of art, so full of love, he couldn’t stop reading.

> _I'd like to take you out on a date  
>  _
> 
> _A date?  
>  I don’t even know what you look like_
> 
> _That's because you never asked  
>  All the more reason to meet me_
> 
> _I'm scared tbh  
>  I don't wanna ruin what we have :(  
>  What if we don't like each other?_
> 
> _That would really suck  
>  I don't have anyone but you_
> 
> _You're all I have too you know_
> 
> _If I show you my face will you promise not just to go out with me bc I look so sexy?_

As he felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep, his eyelids becoming heavy, Tony rested his head against the airplane’s headrest and hugged the book to his chest. He closed his eyes, thinking of her, until eventually he was dreaming of being back in her arms again. Forever this time.

* * *

Reaching the auditorium, Pepper paused before going inside the building. She couldn’t believe that the day had finally come and she was graduating high school. She had so many memories of her time there—some were good, some were bad. To know that it was all over now felt kind of strange. Unreal. A lot had happened in her senior year, some things she’d rather forget about, but she was grateful for the lows, too, as they made her appreciate all the good things she had even more. College would be a totally different experience for her. A new one. The time to really start focusing on her future and what she wanted in life, and what she didn’t want.

But something was missing. Or rather someone. It just didn’t feel right to take her walk to the center of the stage and pick up her diploma cover without Tony being there. He had been such a huge part of high school for her, and had shaped her life in ways he probably didn’t even understand that she really wished he could be there. So much had happened between them, she sometimes wondered how her life had turned out if she hadn’t texted his number that day. Would she still be the same person that she was now?

Pepper closed her eyes at the memory of Tony’s scent, of the drowning depths of his brown eyes. She missed him. She had always missed him. But today... Today she missed him the most.

“I am so infinitely proud of you, Pepper Potts,” a low voice sounded.

Startled, she turned on her heel. And there he stood right behind her, just as she remembered him from the last time she saw him, except he had cut his long locks so they were now a halo of curls. He looked so handsome with the bright sun shining on him; so beautiful with that wide, charming smile softening his mouth.

“Tony?” she said, not believing her own eyes.

He walked over to her and, after all those long hours on the plane of yearning for her touch, finally took her hands into his. “Hi, stranger,” he rasped.

“You came,” Pepper whispered, tears collecting in her eyes. “You really came.”

“Of course I came,” he whispered back. “You think I’d miss this?” He smiled, as his fingers ran over the back of her hands, stroking her skin. “I already missed prom. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Her surprise rendered her speechless.

“I love you,” he said quietly. “And I’m sorry for ever making you doubt that.” Tony bent forward, leaning into her, his eyes focused on her mouth. He kissed her, long and deeply, until they both ran out of air and came up gasping. He had never forgotten the feel of her lips on his, the sweet taste that was hers alone. It would be easier to forget to breathe. “3000,” he whispered.

“W-What?”

“That’s how much I love you.”

“You can’t love me 3000. That doesn’t make any sense,” she mumbled, still completely taken aback by the fact he was standing right in front of her.

Slowly, Tony grabbed her hand and put it over his racing heart, like that one time at the airport. “You feel that?” he asked, half smiling, half smirking. “That’s gotta be 3000 beats per minute.”

She laughed softly, and her smile was radiant, as if he’d given her the most precious gift in the world. And perhaps he had. Pepper gazed at him with such shining love, it took his breath away. Whatever had happened in the past, it didn’t matter. The future didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they always found their way back to each other, however hampered by doubts and fears.

Tony enveloped her in his arms and fervently kissed the top of her head, breathing in the sweet, familiar aroma of her hair. How good it felt to hold her. There was nothing more real than this.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered, stroking her silky red tresses soothingly.

The intensity of the emotion in his voice had a powerful effect upon Pepper. Her eyes watered to near overflowing and she closed them, hugging him tighter, wishing he would never leave her again.

“I’ve missed you too,” she breathed.


End file.
